Student Union Art Gallery unveils new exhibits for new semester

The Student Union Art Gallery’s presentation of “Midway” – an exhibition by University of Massachusetts MFAs – is closing today, February 3. A closing reception will be held in the Gallery from 4 - 6 p.m this evening.

“Midway” featured the works of six MFA candidates as a halfway mark of their completion of the graduate program in the Studio Arts program. The artists include Ariel Simpson-Johnson, Caroline Valites, John Michael Byrd, Joseph Morelli, Lauren Pleveich and Theresa Antonellis. The Gallery’s artwork ranged from oil on canvas to projected Youtube videos and beyond.

The most vibrant and shocking of the artists’ work was that of Byrd who painted three sexually explicit portraits including male and (what looked like) female genitalia. Byrd used watercolor and acrylic paints on polypropylene.

Lavery’s piece consisted of edited Youtube videos which were projected onto the white studio door and black tile floor. Titled “At These Coordinates We Dream of the Sky,” the project exhibited colorful shots of hot air balloons and bobble-heads floating across the door. This continuous projection was shown at the back of the gallery and made for one of the most interesting sections in the room.

Standing out in the middle of the Gallery was Morelli’s army of painted, plastic (what resembled) mice. The piece, titled “Mamma,” featured neutral-colored mice painted with acrylic on molded plastic. The animals were organized by color and were mostly positioned walking away from the center, with the exception of the white mice walking towards the crowd.

A new exhibit will open on Monday, Feb. 6 featuring sculpture and sound, said a Gallery student employee. The solo exhibition by Christopher M. Lavery is titled, “One Truth & One Story.” The exhibit’s opening reception will be held on Thursday, Feb. 9 from 5 – 7 p.m. “One Truth & One Story” will be open until Feb. 23 in the Student Union Art Gallery during gallery hours, which are Monday – Thursday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The artist can be contacted via email at godzillalaughs@gmail.com, or go to his website for a better idea of what’s to be expected at the exhibit.